Day 19: There is going to be a major shake-up in the birding world. Yesterday, the American Ornithological Society announced that it would be revising up to 80 names of North American birds to alter those which reference "enslavers, white supremacists and robbers of Indigenous graves." James Audubon tops the list, a blow likewise impacting the Audubon Society. Nevertheless, I want to take you there for a moment for the official definition of a "birb," a sub-classification to which Nut (above) belongs. "Birb," says the Society, "is affectionate internet-speak for birds." It refers to a vague category of birds which are funny, cute, silly, round, small or otherwise adorable. Eagles and hawks are not birbs. Neither are gulls, geese or storks (I might argue that last one). The Society goes on to query, "Now, one might reasonably ask why it matters which birds qualify as birbs. Strictly speaking, of course, it doesn’t. But viewed sidelong, it becomes a taxonomic game, akin to 'is a hot dog a sandwich.' These sorts of debates are fun partially because they reveal real fault-lines in our operational definitions. It’s a chance to take stock, not just of what we think about birds, but how we think about them. Defining 'birb' also means interrogating our impressions. It’s not only about rating them: It's about reminding us that—regardless of birb-status—all birds are good." Given this revelation, I now ask you to re-read the first two sentences of this essay in order to better understand why the name changes are necessary.
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